The Story of My Life
by BlueBlackWarrior
Summary: Due to a strong congestion, five year old Nico lost not only his sense of sight, but also his sense of hearing. He feels the world almost only by his sense of touch. His busy family can't really stand to be with him every hour, nor can any of his teachers, so he was forced to not move or interact with the servants of his household. That is, until this boy is brought to his house.
1. Dull Darkness

**"Then, in the dreary month of February, came the illness which closed my eyes and ears and plunged me into the unconsciousness of a new-born baby. They called it acute congestion of the stomach and brain. The doctor thought I could not live. Early one morning, however, the fever left me as suddenly and mysteriously as it had come. There was great rejoicing in the family that morning, but no one, not even the doctor, knew that I should never see or hear again."  
** **Hellen Keller, The Story of My Life**

Nico woke up from his peaceful slumber. He never truly dreamed about anything. Only at rare moments did he dream of what he remembered about the world around him. Five years ago, at the age of five, a strange illness had taken over his body. He no longer remembered what it had been called, but he knew perfectly well that it had been what had taken his sight and hearing from him. He'd come a long way from it and had tried to forget. At first, he had been devastated. He cried for hours on end about his loss. He missed seeing the trees, the flowers, hearing the music his sister often played, the sound wind and so many other things he could no longer perceive. Even the stern yet soft stare and tone of his mother while she scolded him.

He finally sat up and extended his hand, waiting for a few seconds before he felt another hand on top of his. He searched for the ring in the hand and felt the familiar symbol: a diamond. He traced his fingers underneath and felt the pattern that revealed the name of the person in front of him. Agnella, as always, was here to help him out of bed. Nico didn't really need to be gently pulled to his feet. He didn't need to be undressed and bathed. He didn't need to be dressed. He could do all of those by himself if he'd only been given the chance. Sadly, his parents were far too overprotective to let him have even just a small piece of freedom. This is what led him to the biggest problem he had: the inability to do absolutely anything he really wanted to.

Though it had been already five years since he had lost his sight and hearing, he had no actual caretaker whatsoever. Sure, he was brought to any place he needed to be by a servant and taught what he needed to know by his many tutors, but nobody could really stand to be with him. The servants had other duties to attend to, and his tutors only stayed with him for a limited amount of time, and only to give him his classes. As for his family, they were always busy as well. His father, Hades di Angelo, was an important man. He was always busy, writing documents and talking to strangers and whatever other things he did. Nico didn't have a clear idea what his father's profession consisted of. He just knew it was important and that he was not allowed to interrupt his father when he was working. His mother was almost as busy as his father, but for entirely different reasons. Maria di Angelo was the daughter of an important man. That, for some reason, meant that she had quite a few duties herself. Nico didn't understand adults. They were all always so busy and in such a hurry, he didn't want to be hurrying around, working on those complicated things his father had once tried to explain to him.

The only other piece of his family that lived with them in their mansion was his older sister, Bianca. And, as you would guess, she was always busy as well. Not only did she take 'normal classes' (unlike his own set of special ones) she also took a few music classes and dance lessons. And whatever time she had between all those things, she spent it hanging out with her friends inside or outside the mansion. Nico would rather be buried alive than admit it, but he envied his sister. She could go outside of the house and into the gardens as long as she was being supervised by a guard. She could run around the house alone or talk with her friends and share stories and experiences with them. He wanted that. All of it. Yet he wasn't even allowed to walk around his own corridor by himself. Any 'conversations' he had consisted of a set of short words scribbled on his hand and nothing more. They were far and in between and the most he had ever 'talked' was when the cleaning maid had asked him where he wanted everything in his room to be.

It wasn't like he couldn't talk though…he just didn't anymore. It was so odd to speak words when he could not hear them or even watch himself say them. So he kept quiet and said what little he had in small words, written in the palm of whoever was to receive them.

Nico was often conflicted on whether or not he wanted a caretaker. Yes, he wanted to go outside more than maybe once or twice a month. Yes, he wanted to confidently walk through his home. And so very yes did he want somebody whom he could constantly talk with. But the thought of having some adult over him the whole day felt suffocating. It was annoying enough with how little interaction he was forced to have with the cleaning maids when he was woken up, showered, put to bed and taken to eat. Having somebody breathing on his neck every second of the day was more than his sanity could take. And, oh, how he knew his parents would love that. Somebody that was meant specifically to watch his every move and make sure he is well. However, his parents were perfectionists, and wouldn't allow just anybody to take care of him. They wanted somebody with amazing skills that could understand his needs. But they could never find anyone. The people that attempted to get the part were either experts with blind people or with deaf people. Never both, so his parents just discarded all of them. He wondered how long it would be until his parents gave up on finding somebody that was willing and capable of standing Nico's presence 24/7. At least, that's what he wondered those days when he was woken up early, dressed up and introduced to a new person whom he never saw again afterwards.

Lost in thought, Nico keep looking in the direction of the window, enjoying the warm feeling of the sunlight on his face. Even if he wished he could be outside more, he had to admit his room was quite calming. Since he heavily depended on his sense of touch for just about everything, his parents had made sure to get the softest material they could find for every part of his room. The curtains were soft and silky, his bed was like the softest marshmallow cloud in existence, and even the floor was furnished with soft, fluffy carpet that anybody could sleep on as comfortably as they would sleep on their own bed. As usual, he didn't hear the door open a figure came in silently and gracefully. He did, however, feel the soft and warm hand that touched his own. Nico's hand was led up to where he could feel something cold and metallic. He gripped it and his eyes widened in recognition. The necklace held the large symbol of a clover. His mother smiled as she saw the recognition in his eyes and gave him a small kiss at the top of his head.

'Dinner time.' She wrote on his hand and held it as he got up, following her obediently. He hadn't seen her or father at breakfast or lunch, so he assumed they had left for the day and had just come back. 'How are you feeling today?' She wrote once they had both been seated at the table. 'Good' Nico wrote into Maria's palm as he always did. It's not like his life was miserable. He had a loving family and a wonderful home. He knew that. But it was never an 'Exiting' 'Amazing' or 'Extraordinary' day. It was rather dull in this darkness he had come to know so well with the years. His most exciting moments where in his morning classes. The ones with his teacher Celestina who taught him about the world he could not perceive. She taught him about animals, plants, mountains, oceans and so much more. Sure, he took other classes like writing and history, but none were as exciting as hers. She had gone so far as to actually bring him a dog for him to touch and pet. It had been an amazing day and he had been happy for days about it. He had even asked his parents if he could have a pet, maybe the company he wanted could be had by a furry companion. But such was not his luck, Hades said he would never allow it and his mood had dropped back to his normal self since.

They ate in what seemed like silence to him. At least, nobody was really talking to him, as usual. He let his mind wander as he ate, remembering what he had learned today with his tutors. Maybe he could ask Celestina tomorrow where shrimp come from, or why cats and tigers are so alike. He always had so many questions he wanted the answer to, but so little time to ask them at the end of his classes. Suddenly, a hand touched his own and he was startled out of his thoughts. Looking for a ring and finding none, he let his hand be guided once again to the clover necklace. Maria held his hand and began to slowly write on top of his palm.

'Your father and I will be gone for a few days. He has an important meeting to go to. I will accompany him.' After she finished, she smiled at Nico, even if she knew he could not see her. Bianca herself was frowning, not pleased that parents were leaving, even if for a short time. Nico decided to not comment about it and only nodded, not letting his expression show how opposed he was to the idea. He didn't like it when she or father left, but he knew he couldn't do anything about it. Maria gave her son a big smile and kissed his hand softly, sitting back down and continuing her previous conversation with her husband as they sorted out the specifics of their trip. They would be gone for three days, seeing as the trip to where the meeting was being held was an entire day away. Bianca informed Nico under the table on how long their parents would be gone. Nico didn't even need to feel for Bianca's necklace, he knew it was her, it wasn't the first time she informed him on such specifics while their parents talked. After Bianca finished, Nico quickly finished eating and excused himself from the table.

Again, a servant helped him up the stairs and took care of him until he was laying on his bed, dressed in comfortable silk pajamas. Nico waited until the servant left, turning the lights off on her way out and stood up. He knew very well he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. He always kept himself up for some time after he was put to bed to enjoy the cold feeling of the nightly wind on his skin. He remembers what the moon looks like. He remembers how the stars shone beside it and closed his eyes, trying to picture the room around him. He often did this when he was alone, imagine what his surroundings were like so he could feel a little more connected to this world he called a home. He wondered if there had ever been a person who had been born or left without any of their senses. The though alone horrified him and he quickly pushed it aside. He hoped not, he couldn't think if anything more horrible than not feeling anything at all, forever. A shiver ran down his spine and he laid on his bed, burying himself under the thick blankets as he called sleep forth once more.

 **This story was inspired by the biography of a woman who could not see or hear, yet still learned how to read and write. I just hope I can live up to what I wanted this story to be.**


	2. The (un)usual

**Just a small piece of Nico's day to day life.**

Nico stood next to his sister Bianca, who had a hand on his shoulder to make her presence known to him. They had both been woken up earlier than usual so they could say goodbye to their parents before they left on their small trip. Various servants hurried around, making sure that everything that was to be needed was neatly placed in the back of the car where Hades and Maria would make their trip on. Their driver stood in front of the vehicle, waiting patiently for his clients.

A few minutes after, the aforementioned husband and wife finally appeared. Maria hugged Bianca and then proceeded to hug Nico just as fiercely. Though she was already used to these kinds of trips, it was unsettling for her to think about being so far away from her children. She took a hold of Nico's hand and wrote into his palm as she spoke to Bianca. "We will be back as soon as we can, we promise." She smiled at her daughter as she hugged her father goodbye. "Is there anything you would want us to bring you?" she offered before giving Hades enough space to hug his son. "I've heard they have beautiful jewelry over there. I could bring you a new necklace if you'd like.

Bianca smiled after thinking briefly about it. "I would like to try one of those new pearl necklaces all the girls keep talking about. Micaela even got one of them from her mother. I think it would go nicely with that dress we bought the last time we went out together." Maria nodded and smiled, before taking Nico's hand once again after him and his father had seemed to share a few words.

"I think that would be a lovely idea, Bianca, I'm certain you would look beautiful in such a combination." Maria felt Nico slowly write to her on her palm 'I don't really want anything. It's alright.' She frowned but decided not to bother him about it. There weren't many things Nico ever really wanted, mostly because of the fact that he didn't really care for beautiful or extravagant things. The most the boy ever asked for was some sort of treat or pastry he wished to try, he seemed to have a love for sweets like his mother. 'Regardless, I'll see if there's anything I can find.' She wrote back and gave her son one last hug. 'Take care' she wrote before she was lead to the car and sat in the back, next to her husband.

The driver closed the door and took his seat, finally starting the engine. Bianca took Nico's hand and gave a small wave with it, which Nico continued, receiving the message. Hades and Maria waved to their children and servants as the car drove away. After it was outside the gates, they were closed shut and the servants slowly went back to their original duties. Bianca led Nico upstairs to his room. 'Are you alright?' she asked in concern. She knew very well her little brother didn't like it when their parents left the mansion. They hardly did, seeing as they did their work inside of it most of the time.

'I will be.' He wrote back, his face unwilling to show any emotion at all. Bianca signed but decided not to push it, instead asking Nico about his lessons. She knew very well that his classes were far different than her own, so it sometimes made her curious to know what he had actually been taught by his various tutors. Nico smiled and tried to keep a steady beat as he wrote to her about all the things he had been learning for the past few days. He had learned about mountains and the different animals that lived there, about the old civilizations that lived between Asia and Europe and about the seasons and how they changed everything around them. He didn't bother telling him much about his afternoon classes, since his classes with professor Chirico were the ones in which he was taught the feel of the things around him, like common furniture and such, as well as how to write better, since his writing was apparently still a tad bit sloppy.

After a long conversation of those he rarely had with his sister, a servant came in and informed Bianca that one of Nico's teachers was here to begin his first class of the day. She wrote 'See you soon' to her brother and went to wait for one of her classes, since the earliest ones had been postponed so she could say goodbye to her parents. Nico waited excitedly for his teacher to come. His first class was his absolute favorite, Celestina's class about the outside. About a minute or so passed before Nico felt a hand grab his own, he traced the ring in the hand and found a clover, at the bottom of the ring in braille was written the name Celestina. Nico smiled at his teacher, and even if he couldn't see it, he had the feeling she had smiled back.

'Good morning, Nico. How have you been feeling today?' she asked, as she always did. She was quite aware that his student wasn't always happy at the start of his classes, so she often tried to cheer him up. 'I'm feeling very good today, ma'am.' Nico replied back politely 'What are we going to be learning about today?' he inquired. Celestina smiled and pulled out a book from the bag she kept with her for all her classes with the boy. Nico had always been an eager student of hers, and his interest was very much appreciated. She had had many students that had never wanted to learn and ended up making her time with them quite disagreeable.

'I will continue teaching you about the animals that reside in the mountains. We are far from done with the subject.' She wrote after opening the book and sitting next to Nico on the large desk that was placed inside his room. The boy only smiled and waited for her to begin. She guided his hands across the pages and stopped him to explain what he has just read, showing him the example of what every creature looked like, letting him trace its figure and feel a piece of fur from the animal. Because of all the attention to detail, these were the best books she had ever been given to work with, and such a thing was thanks to Hades and Maria, who had them be made specifically for their son. It made her happy to see how much they truly cared about their child, even if they seemed like a busy pair. The class hour passed rather quickly and Celestina put the book and the rest of her things back in the bag. She told Nico that they would surely continue their lesson tomorrow and was guided out by one of the maids. Nico frowned but kept any comment to himself.

Nico sat at the table, waiting for the batch of brownies which was being currently baked in the kitchen. They were his favorite baked good, which was saying something because of how many of them he ate. He didn't know why, but the sweet and warm smell and flavor always made him feel happier. It was odd, so he decided simply not to question it. Once he felt the vibrations of the plate being placed on the table he quickly began to eat. He had about ten minutes (most definitely more, his history teacher was always late) before Roberto came to teach him another 'exited' class about history. It's not that he disliked history, he found it quite interesting, but sometimes his teacher rambled on and on about concepts he simply could not understand the importance of, but he tried to somehow learn them nonetheless.

He was midway into eating another brownie when it was taken out of his hand. He reached out and no longer found his brownie filled plate. He frowned and glared at the spot in front of him, knowing very well who took it. 'Bianca' he wrote into the table, knowing very well that his sister had read it. Bianca only laughed and tapped Nico's nose before rolling in laughter at his scrunched up expression. Nico tried his best to reach around for his sister while still sitting down on his chair. After a while of seeing him look for her, Bianca set the plate where it had been and sat next to him, giving her brother a hug. Nico gave a huff but smiled, taking another brownie. He knew Bianca was just trying to humor him, seeing as she really didn't know how to play with her little brother if the rare chance ever arose. They sat silently eating the baked goods until Roberto finally got there (late, as usual) and took Nico with him to start his class.

 **I didn't want to make this chapter very long, because not much of importance happens inside of it to me. On the next few chapter, the story will truly begin to roll in small specs of Hades and Maria's trip.**


	3. Muffled Sobbing

**I'm not going to pretend I know anything about Italy. I don't. Never been there (though I would love to) and never been to so much as Europe so not even close. Let's just all pretend that this is how Italian geography works. If you are Italian, I'm sorry about this.**

 **As for all the Hades/Maria shippers over there, here.**

Milan had always been a crowded place. Many designers from all over the world often shared their projects there and inspired others who loved fashion. Maria had been here more than a few times with Hades, they had even so much as brought their kids with them once. She was certain that Bianca wanted to become a designer herself and tried to keep her daughter up to speed with the new clothes and accessories that were released every week whenever she could. She always did get so excited about them. Though Nico himself had no interest in such things, the boy did enjoy anything that involved walking around a city, and had still enjoyed the trip.

Maria was smiling once they finally reached the hotel they would be staying at for this short trip. The thought of the wonderful beings she got to call her own always raised her mood a little. A man from the hotel greeted them and took their bags to what would be their room. "Welcome to the hotel Bella Notte, how may I help you?" the woman at the front desk asked politely.

"We have a reservation under the name Hades di Angelo." The woman typed a few things and Hades paid for the room. After she gave them their key, they slowly walked to their room. It had one bedroom, a kitchen, two bathrooms, a living room that was connected to the kitchen and a balcony. They tipped the man that brought their bags to the room before laying on the couch. Maria laid her head on her husband's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her from the side. She signed, releasing the tension on her shoulders. It wasn't often that they had times like these, where they could take it slow and spend more than a few minutes together. She wasn't mad about it, just wished she had more free time to enjoy.

After a few minutes of contently holding each other, Hades eyed his watch and kissed the top of her head "We have enough time to walk around for a few hours, if you'd like." He offered, despite how comfortable he felt just laying there. Maria then remembered the pearl necklace Bianca had asked for before they left.

"Why don't we go buy the gifts for Bianca and Nico? It'll be better if we do so now, rather than on our last day." She tilted her head up and gave him a chaste kiss. Hades hummed in approval and got up, offering his hand and pulling Maria up. They walked out pf the hotel and headed towards the city.

Compared to how she'd seen it before, Milan wasn't nearly as crowded as in the holidays, but it was surely still packed with hundreds of unique individuals that walked around its streets. Maria happily let herself be led by Hades through the streets. As she walked, she noticed a jewelry store in one of the streets they passed. She steered him towards it and smiled when she saw different kinds of pearl necklaces on display. "Welcome to Diamanti Scintillanti, how may I help you, sir?"

Maria immediately walked over to one of the many displays. The necklace was made out of medium sized pearls that got slightly smaller as they got nearer to the buckle and larger as they came towards the middle. "Can I have a look at this one?"

"Of course, ma'am. This is one of the latest models in the line…" Maria tuned her out as she took a better look at the necklace. All the pearls seemed to be well taken care of and without a single scratch in it. She could only imagine how beautiful it would look on Bianca. With a smile, she nodded towards Hades direction.

He nodded "We'll take this one." Soon they were out of the store and walking again. There were less people outside, since it seemed I would start to get dark soon. But Maria was determined to find something for Nico before the day ended. She knew he loved anything with a pattern because he loved to trace them over and over again with his fingers, whether to find out what the picture represented, or just to try and memorize it. However, it sounded much easier than it seemed to be. They entered three stores and found nothing with an interesting pattern which Nico could perceive. It was either perceivable to him and simple (like a clay vase) or complicated but unperceivable (like a tapestry). Once they made it out of the third store, small flecks of orange were making their way onto the sky. They had to wake up early tomorrow for the meeting and they were quite a distance away from their hotel.

They walked two more blocks before Maria gave up hope that they would find something nice for Nico today. Frowning, she turned her head to tell Hades they should go back when she saw it. On the street to their left, there was a store that seemed to be of carpentry. Filled with newfound, determination, Maria quickly made her way towards it. As they entered, as small bell rang to announce their presence. "Oh! Welcome, welcome. You're just in time, I was about to close in a few minutes." The old man, who seemed to be the owner of the store, greeted them and took his place behind the counter. "Are you looking for anything specific?" he asked as wiped the stone countertop, which was filled with small specks of wood.

Maria looked at Hades, who smiled at her and made a motion towards the man. "We are looking for something with an engraved pattern. The more complex, the better." she smiled at him and looked around. There was mostly furniture around the store. Coffee tables, nightstands, chairs, dressers and many others were littered around, and each and every one of them different from all its partners.

"Well, I do have quite a few." He showed the a small round table, with flower like patterns on its underside; then he showed them a dresser who's drawers framed by patterns of different birds and other animals, the last thing he showed them was a large chair with a small and simple coffee table. All of them were beautifully designed, but Maria was hesitant about changing any of the furniture in Nico's room. What if he tripped and fell because he didn't remember the coffee table was there? What if he hit is toe with the corner of the dresser? What if he couldn't get on the chair on his own because it was too tall? She couldn't help but see each and every negative possibility that came with changing anything about the space the boy spent most of his days in.

"What's that?" she asked the man and pointed towards some sort of bowl that was placed on top of the coffee table that was next to the chair. It looked like a wooden version of a fishbowl, but slightly smaller than the smallest one she could imagine. What truly caught her attention was the pattern that was not too deeply engraved into it, going arounf the bowl. It had three children running and playing with a ball, and two trees; one of them had a small boy reading under its shade, while the other one had a similar girl that was sitting on a swing attached to one of its branches.

"Oh, that?" the man asked and took the strange bowl in this hands. "This was something my grandson made as practice the last time he came to visit me. I wasn't too sure what to do with it, so I added it to this set. He thought it would work well as some sort of flower vase." He handed it to Maria for her to take a closer look. The boy had apparently taken some good attention to detail, since she could see the children's smiling faces as they ran around. She gave it to Hades who had a ghost of a smile on his face as he looked and the lone boy who read under the tree. Maria didn't need any more assurance than that. "We'll take it."

They thanked the kind man and walked out if the store. Hades held the door open for Maria who was smiling as she held the bowl in her hands. She had no doubt Nico would love it and happily trace the new object until he figured out the whole pattern. But most of all, she was happy that she could find something she knew he would like. Suddenly, Maria froze in her tracks and her smile dropped completely. Hades himself stopped and looked at his wife in concern. "Maria, is there something wrong?" Maria kept looking around, worry etched in her face.

"Don't you hear that?" she asked quietly, looking for the source of the sound. Hades took a second to tune out the small chatter of what little people were still out, since it had gone dark already. Small sobs could be heard from somewhere. He himself would have never noticed them with how quiet and muffled they were, but he supposed Maria's mother instinct was like a whole powerful sixth sense of its own. They peaked inside the small space that separated the woodwork filled store with the one next to it, which seemed to contain woman's clothing, careful not to make a sound. Due to the darkness, it was almost impossible to see the small child that was curled up on the floor, softly crying into its knees. Maria took a small step inside of the corridor.

At the sound of her feet hitting the ground, the child's head snapped up. Even from a distance, Maria could clearly see the fear that flooded his expression. He seemed ready to bolt that same second. As he started to get up, Maria panicked. "Wait! Wait…" she desperately called, afraid he would run away. There was no chance she could catch him if he did. "I don't want to hurt you, I promise." She assured him and gave the bowl to Hades, bending down slightly. He looked skeptically at her and Maria's heart ached at the thought that he immediately believe she would attack him. "Come on, it's late out. You should come and eat something." They had gotten so inversed in their gift hunt that they had completely skipped dinner, and Maria's stomach was calling for her attention. "There's a restaurant nearby, you can come and join us." She offered and smiled at the boy.

The boy hesitated for a moment and Maria could hear the small rumble of his stomach, as if answering to her own. He moved closer, slowly, and as he stood under one of the rays of the moonlight, Maria finally got a good look at him. He was horribly skinny, with bright blonde hair and blue eyes that looked dark and sunken. But none of that was what Maria was looking at right now. The child looked beaten up, bruises and scratches around his arms, legs and torso with one black eye to top it all off. His clothes weren't even decent. His white shirt and dark pants were torn up and stained with blood. Maria tried desperately to keep what she hoped was a reassuring smile on her face. It couldn't have been less than ten minutes until the blond was finally about five feet in front of her. He still looked wary and ready to run at any second, but at least he no longer looked terrified. Maria finally smiled in relief and took a hold of her husband's arm. "Come, I promise you it's not far away."

 **Now THAT was a long chapter. Even worse, it was so much longer when I was writing it, I had to actually separate it. Regardless, here it is. Thank you guys for all the support you have given me with this new and first story of mine, I hope this long chapter made you all rejoice in your soul. Next one will be shorter, but written in the POV of our mystery boy.**


	4. Trust Is A Thing

**Mystery boy here. Not much you'll see of him at the moment. A lot more will come later. though.**

Though keeping his distance, the boy followed them into the restaurant. By any circumstance he would not have been allowed into a place like this or anywhere near it, but at the sight of the kind woman's husband, people didn't comment on his appearance or stared at him. He was almost scared at the power the man held over the people around him. Once they sat down at a table, both adults say down next to each other, and the boy sat across from them, as far as he could. Maria tried to give him another smile, though it was rather forced since her chest hurt at the sight of him. "Hello there. I'm Maria and this is my husband Hades." She motioned to the man who nodded in his direction and then kept staring at his menu. "What's your name?" she asked in what seemed to him like the sweetest voice he had heard in a long time.

Regardless, he did not answer, and only stared without saying a word. After a minute of silence, she continued, feeling rather uncomfortable about the silence. "Well, it is lovely to meet you. Pick anything that you like and don't worry about the cost." She said and passed him a menu before opening one of her own and scanning it. He stared at her for a few minutes before reluctantly picking it up and opening it. He read a line and then looked up at her, not trusting she wouldn't attempt anything. A few more times of this and he convinced himself she wouldn't act up in public and calmly began to read.

Later, a waiter came and picked up their order. He reluctantly spoke, but inside, some part of him was incredibly happy that he would be eating something proper for once. The rest of the dinner went by without any sort of conversation, though he could swear the couple were somehow talking to each other with their eyes. He even got to eat dessert, and all the woman did was smile at him as he cheerfully ate his chocolate cake. The man paid for the meal and once they got out, the boy looked directly at them. He refused to believe he trusted the couple, but even he knew the fire he had started out the night with had greatly diminished. "You can come stay with us." The woman offered with that smile she always had. He looked at her and her husband in confusion. "We are staying at a hotel not too far from here, you can stay for the night if you have nowhere else to go." He thought about it for a second. Part of his told him about how stupid he was for even considering sleeping with some strangers, while another (and much larger) part begged for him to say yes, to not pass up the chance to sleep somewhere that wasn't the cold and hard ground. Without fully meaning to, he nodded and began to follow them at a constant distance.

Once they made it to the hotel, the woman at the front of the desk took a look at him but didn't comment. The woman, Maria, he reminded himself, asked if there was a nurse around. The other shook her head and informed her that she wouldn't be back till tomorrow morning. She frowned and continued on her way towards the room. As they walked in, the door was left open, giving him the option of following them. With one last second of resistance, the boy went inside and made his way to the living room. Maria went through a door to what he would assume was the bedroom, while Hades messed with the couch and turned it into a bed. Carrying her arms full with two pillows and a blanket, Maria made the bed and walked over to him. "You can sleep here, Hades and I will use the room over there. If you need us, don't bother waking us up." She gave him one last smile and went to her room to take a shower.

Slowly, the boy walked over to the living room and sat on his recently made bed. The man, Hades, went over to the door and closed it, locking it. He bolted up right and looked at him warily, but all the man only left the key in front of the kitchen counter and walked over to the door. "Feel free to take a bath if you so choose. There should be plenty of towels in the bathroom." With that, he went inside the bedroom and closed the door. The voice of the man was deep and steady, as if a silent promise of murder resided beneath it. Regardless, his tone was smooth and strangely calming.

Finally, the boy relaxed and laid down on the bed. He stared at the ceiling until he heard the sound of running water indefinitely stop, and saw the lights turn off. Minutes of silence passed before he got up and went to the other bathroom. He didn't have any clothes he could change to, so he would have to settle for his torn up ones. As he showered, he noticed that there was a small bottle of the soap he used when he took bubble baths back at home. He checked and made sure the door was still locked before he poured the whole bottle in and began to fill the tub with warm water. It took a long time, but the tub finally filled itself and he turned the water off.

Nothing but relief coursed through his muscles as he lowered himself onto the bath. After taking no more of a shower than what cold, rain would give him; warm, soap filled water felt like absolute heaven. He signed and completely submerged himself into the medium sized bathtub, leaving only his face out. He couldn't tell how long he had been there, just enjoying the feeling of the warm water on his skin, but he eventually felt himself become drowsy with sleep. Albeit reluctantly, he drained the tub and made sure no soap was left in his skin before getting out and drying himself with a fluffy, white towel. He then noticed there were bath robes folded neatly next to the towels, he put one on and washed his clothes in the sink, getting all the endless dried blood and dirt out of them.

He shut down the lights and listened closely. Being once again greeted by silence, he quietly walked out of the bathroom and closed the door. Out in the balcony, he hanged his wet clothes and hoped the wind would somehow dry them by tomorrow, so he wouldn't have to leave with wet clothes. Finally, exhausted from the strange day he had just lived, the boy threw himself on his bed and buried himself under the blankets, falling asleep instantly in their warmth.

 **Short, I know. Nobody kill me. I will make the next one longer. Or, at least, I plan to.**


	5. What Do I Even Do?

**A little bit of Maria's POV from what she's like in my mind. I hope i got get right...**

Maria woke up before her husband, small rays of sunlight disturbing her face. She turned to look at the man sleeping next to her. She knew he wouldn't be awake, mornings were never his thing, even if he did wake up early every day. The irony of often made her laugh a little. Quietly, she made her way out of the bed and stood up. Hades was one of those people that needed some morning coffee to function properly at such an early hour. As much as she would like to let him sleep, they would be later for the reunion if they waited too long to get ready.

Opening the door, the first thing to catch Maria's attention was the boy that was soundly sleeping on the bed in the middle of the living room. She felt a smile grace her lips at the sight. He looked so peaceful, compared to how agitated and alert he had been when he was awake. Though she knew very well that he would not tell her, she would love to know what horrors the boy had gone through up to when they had found him. That same thought reminded her of the boy's injuries. Once he woke up, Maria would make sure to call the nurse and get him treated.

Thankfully, everything she needed to make coffee was already stored in the cabinets. Maria took two pots out, and started heating milk in one, and water in the other one. Hades didn't like milk in his coffee, but Maria could not stand the strong, bitter taste of the coffee alone, so she added milk and cream to it, but even then, she never drank much. There wasn't many things inside of the cabinets, mostly plates and basic things such as salt, sugar, oil and others. She would have to order something from the hotel's room service for breakfast, Hades wouldn't want to go out to eat.

Minutes passed while Maria prepared the coffee, enrolled in her thoughts about the upcoming day. She didn't notice the stirring from the boy sleeping in the living room. It wasn't until she turned around to set two mugs on top of the counter that she caught the site of a pair of eyes, as blue as the sky itself, staring at her in mild curiosity. As soon as those eyes met hers, the boy pulled the blanket over his face. Maybe he was shy? It wouldn't surprise her in the least if he was. Might as well ease him a little then. "Good morning" she greeted softly, not wanting to wake up her husband just yet.

Without waiting for an answer, knowing she might not get one, she turned around and began to pour the mashed coffee beans into the pot filled with water. "Good morning" the reply eventually came, softly, like a whisper. If Maria didn't recognize the voice of the boy, she would have believed that she but imagined it. Smiling to herself, she continued to stir the water and powder together, not showing any change in her calm demeanor, though she was exited on the inside. "Would you like some coffee?" she tried to continue, hoping the boy would once again grace her with a reply.

It took longer than the first one, but Maria's smile grew regardless "Yes." the boy answered, his voice still small, yet not as soft as before. Silently, she took out a third mug and began to pour the pure coffee into two of them, a small amount for her, and a full mug for Hades. After adding milk and cream to hers, she took the pots filled with milk and coffee, and left them next to the third, unfilled mug, their handles facing the opposite sided of the counter. She also took a spoon, the sugar and the cream and left them next to them, before grabbing the two mugs and heading inside the room, closing the door behind her. She hoped the boy would gain the confidence to get up from his bed and serve himself the coffee. It would help him feel more at ease in the small hotel room, she thought.

The door was closed and she set the mugs in the nightstand, beginning to wake Hades up. They only had so much time if they wanted to not be rushed all throughout the morning. She felt him stirring and grabbed the mugs, sitting in the bed next to him. Time to truly begin a new day.

Maria finally walked out of the room, bathed and fully dressed. She had enough time to wash the dishes while Hades got himself ready to leave. She had almost forgotten about the boy, whom she saw sitting at the counter, inspecting an empty mug. He turned to look at her and seemed to consider moving from his spot, but decided against it and just stayed there. It relieved her that he didn't seem so keen on avoiding her presence as he had done before.

She dared to take the mug from his hands and began to wash it along with the other two and the pots. She could feel the boys stare in her back as she worked. Rather than scared like he had been before, he looked confused and slightly curious about her. What to make of him today was what bothered her. She doubted bringing him to the meeting would be any good. Mr. Castiglione was hardly what you would call 'a friendly face' when you first met him. But she felt sick at the thought of leaving him with anyone else. He could just stay here, she supposed. The hotel had many activities he could preform while they were gone. Maybe a trip to the spa? That would surely do the poor kid some good. He looked tense beyond belief. There was also that-

Her thoughts were cut short by a knock on the door. She ignored the suspicious glace the boy seemed to make towards it and answered it, being greeted by one of the hotel workers. "Good morning, ma'am. An order of a plate of pancakes, one large plate scrambled eggs with bacon and sausage; and a black forest ham sandwich for room 104. Is this correct, ma'am?" he asked and held a tray with three plates of food on top of it.

"Yes, that is my order. Please set those on the counter for me." The man only nodded before coming inside and leaving the plates there. Maria paid close attention to the boy, who stared rather hungrily at the plates. The man thanked her and left without another word. Maria closed the door and went back behind the counter. The boy settled for staring at his lap now, not saying a word. With a little more confidence, Maria settled herself in front of him and offered him the plate filled with pancakes with the complementary bottle of syrup. He gave it a small glance but didn't look up for long.

Maria signed in defeat, apparently, the boy was still going to be completely introverted again. It made her sad, seeing as it seemed they had done progress, but he seemed to shut down again and again whenever it happened. "The pancakes are yours, honey. You can eat and stay here during the day. Hades and I will be going on a work meeting of his. We will be back in the afternoon to eat lunch here. You can help yourself to anything here, don't worry about it, we will be back as soon as we can." She quickly left to give Hades his breakfast before the baffled look in the boy's face could make her talk any more. She was slightly embarrassed that she had talked to him exactly as she would talk to Nico, but she couldn't help it. They boy reminded her of him. Maybe they would get along if they met…

She decided indulging in such a train of thought would have to be done later, when she had more time in her hands.

She felt rather bad leaving the boy to his own devices. At least the nurse had reported herself and began to take care of the boy's countless wounds. Maria had to admit that she was grateful though, seeing the amount of infected and bloody scratches, coupled with the large purple and even black bruises had made her stomach turn in a sickening way that almost made her regret eating her breakfast. She was both worried and enraged by them, wondering, who would lay a hand on a child. For one thing, she was sure she would sacrifice hours of whatever free time she was given to find the culprit. But that was in the future, for now, she had to decide what would become of the boy once they had to go back home.

A word with the hotel's manager was enough to assure her the boy would remain untouched or bothered, but she had to think of the future. She didn't want to leave him here, but could she take him home with them? She supposed it wouldn't be a problem for how big their house (read: mansion) was, but would it be okay for him to leave this place? What if he actually had family here? Though it didn't seem likely, the boy had made no attempt to go home, it was still a possibility. Not to mention they couldn't just give him a place if they planned to raise him. He would need more, like teachers and duties. Oh, gods, what about her own children? Would Nico and Bianca be okay with having an adopted brother? A very mysterious one, who barely spoke at all. Bianca herself would try to approach him, she believed, as for Nico…she had no clue, really. That boy was as unpredictable as his father, if not more.

'Stop Maria' she told herself as the driver took them to the Castiglione household. 'Don't tear your hair out just yet. Just, take it easy.' She had a few hours, didn't she? She would figure this out. Yes, of course she would.

 **Does anybody else miss little Nico? I certainly do, but there's still one more chapter with Maria before we get to that. This is about to turn a little.**


End file.
